By Rukhshana media’s reporters
The day the Taliban stopped Somaiya Aswadi and her friends from entering the university campus, she swore she’d never submit to their agenda.
The 23-year-old was studying Engineering at Herat University when on December 19, 2022, the Taliban cabinet suspended university education for girls and women “until further notice”.
The Taliban’s successive bans on girls and women’s education has rendered life bitter and bleak for females in Afghanistan, but some young women have continued to battle to secure their education.
“Women and girls should never lose hope and must keep working towards a brighter future,” Ms Aswadi said from her new campus in the United States where she’s studying computer science at the prestigious Stony Brook University.
After the Taliban returned to power, Ms Aswadi enrolled in classes to learn English and took up a job working as a teacher in an English language course in Herat. This was important after the university ban to improve her language skills and her plan to apply for scholarships abroad.
She applied to six universities in the United States and ultimately received offers from Stony Brook University, Pace University, the University of Arizona, Portland State University, Ohio State University, and Boston University.
Somaiya Aswadi/ Image:supplied
She chose Stony Brook and began her studies in August of 2023.
It is almost three years since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. Concerns about the ongoing situation of women in Afghanistan, particularly young girls denied an education after grade six, are continuing to be voiced by international organizations.
A joint report by UN Women, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and UNAMA reveals that approximately 64 per cent of women in Afghanistan feel unsafe when leaving their homes.
Meanwhile, in a statement marking the 1000th day of the Taliban’s ban on education for girls beyond the sixth grade, UNICEF reported that Afghan girls have lost 3 billion hours of educational opportunities.
For Jamila, the road to education is a similar story of determined discipline to gain a scholarship abroad.
She was shattered In December 2022 when she and her all-female group completed their university geology project, but instead of marking their assessment, their professor delivered disappointing news: “Today is the last day for girls at the university. We are not allowed to review or grade female students’ projects. If we do, we risk being dismissed from our positions.”
Jamila said the Taliban’s decision turned her life into a nightmare.
“Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the challenges began. I was completely on my own, living away from my family in Kabul to learn English,” she said.
“Now, I’ve been living apart from my family in Islamabad for almost a year, with the hope of one day returning to my country as an engineer.”
Jamila says that she studied English at Girls College in Islamabad, Pakistan, and successfully applied for a scholarship to a university in Canada to study architecture.
Recently, 12 girls from Afghanistan, including Jamila, have been accepted into universities in Canada. They have received their Canadian visas and are ready to travel, but financial difficulties have prevented them from taking the final step.
To support the group, a fundraising campaign has been launched on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. The campaign aims to help cover the cost of plane tickets and make their journey to their destination country.
Jamila now feels that her dreams that she feared would be crushed under Taliban rule are within reach once again.
Hadisa, 20, is another of these girls whose family lives in Ghazni province. She has been awarded a scholarship to study architecture at a university in Canada.
Despite facing economic and financial hardships, as well as the Taliban’s restrictions, she has overcome these obstacles and made her dreams a reality.
Paimana*, 21 and Asia* are both on the cusp of significant milestones. Paimana is about to attend a university in Italy, while Asia is awaiting responses from several universities in the United States and Europe.
Both girls hail from Herat and are determined to demonstrate through their actions that girls are stronger than the Taliban’s restrictions.
Paimana was in her third year of medical school at Herat University when the Taliban barred girls and women from attending universities in Afghanistan.
In a short period, she achieved a high level of proficiency in English. Last October, she scored 107 on her first TOEFL exam, a remarkable achievement that significantly enhanced her chances of being accepted into prestigious international universities.
While Paimanas’s voice on the phone is bright and cheerful, she says, “When my TOEFL score was announced, I felt an indescribable joy. It was the result of months of hard work and brought happiness to me and my entire family.”
Paimana lives with her family of five in the Andkhoy district of Herat.
She said she received acceptance offers from two universities in Italy.
“My goal was to study medicine at a European university. I applied to universities in Germany, France, and Italy, and fortunately, two universities in Italy accepted me. I am now busy completing the admission process.”
Paimana believes that, given the current situation where girls are deprived of their right to education, studying abroad serves as an alternative pathway for their continued education and advancement. With proficiency in a foreign language, girls can gain admission to universities in the United States and Europe.
Paimana identifies her father as the greatest supporter in her life. She urges all fathers in Afghanistan to stand by their daughters during these dark times under the Taliban.
Asia lives with her family of six in Herat. She was also a third-year medical student at Herat University when she was deprived of her right to education.
She took the TOEFL exam in late October of the previous year while Herat was experiencing a series of earthquakes.
Currently, Asia teaches students from elementary to advanced levels for about nine hours a day, both in person and online. She has applied for scholarships at several universities and is awaiting responses.
Asia shares the same message as the other successful scholarship applicants: “Do not lose hope in these challenging times.”
